PART IV THE LITURGICAL YEAR CHAPTER XXIII ADVENT TO HOLY WEEK S 1. ADVENT HE colour of the season in Advent is purple. The Gloria in exeelsis at Mass and Te DeuJlt at Matins are not said, except on feasts. 1 But Alleluia is said in the office, as usual, and on Sundays at Mass. T At Mass of the season the ministers do not wear dalmatic and tunicle, but folded chasubles, except on the third Sunday and Christmas Eve. From 17 December (0 Sapientia) to Christmas, votive offices and Masses or Requiems are not allowed. During Advent the altar is not to be decorated with flowers or other such ornaments; nor is the organ played at liturgical offices. But the organ may be played at non-liturgical services, such as Benediction; 2 and it is tolerated, even at Mass, if the singers cannot sing correctly without it. In this case it should be played only to accompany the voices, not as an ornament between the singing. The exceptions to this rule are the third Sunday of Advent (mid-Advent, "Gaudete") and the fourth Sunday of Lent (mid-Lent, "Laetare "). On these two days alone in the year the liturgical colour is rosy (color rosaceus).' On both the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle, the altar is decorated as for feasts,' and the organ is played. On the week-days after the third Sunday (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday), when the Mass is that of the Sunday, repeated,' the colour is purple, the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle, the organ is played. The same rule applies to Christmas Eve (see below, p. 255). § 2. THE FOLDED CHASUBLES THE rules for the use of folded chasubles 6 are these. They are worn by the deacon and subdeacon, instead of dalmatic and tunic1e, on days of fasting and penance, except vigils of Saints' days and Christmas Eve, which have dalmatic and 1 According to the general rule, when the" Gloria in excelsis " is not said, the form" Benedicamus Domino" is used at the end of Mass, in­ stead of " Ite missa est." 2 There is no law requiring the organ at any time. If a priest thinks well to mark the season by complete silence of the organ at all services during this time he may do so, and does well. 3 For lack of rosy vestments the usual violet may be used (violet dalmatic and tunicle). .[ According to the Caer. Ep., Lib. I, cap. xii, § 12 this means with " vases of flowers bound with sweet-smelling leaves or silk." 5 \Vedncsday, Friday, and Saturday arc ember days and have Mas.s of their own. G "Planetae plicatae" in the missal (Rubr. gen., xix, 6) and Caer. l!.p. Lib. II, cap. xiii, § 3. 254 'i!be 1iturgical ]1ear tu~icle. Folded chasubles therefore are used on Sundays and fenas of Advent and Lent, when the Mass is of the season. Except from this the third Sunday of Advent and the week­ days (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday) on which its Mass may be repeated. Except also the fourth Sunday of Lent, Maundy Thursday, and Holy Saturday at the blessing of the Paschal candle and Mass. Folded chasubles are used further on ember days (except those in the Whitsun octave), on vVhitsun Eve before Mass (not at the red Mass), on Candlemas at the blessing of candles and procession. 1 From this it follows that the folded chasuble is always purple, except on Good Friday, when it is black. But the purple colour does not always involve folded chasubles. On Christ­ mas Eve, on the three Sundays, Septuagesima, Sexagesima, Quinquagesima, and (for lack of rosy vestments) in some churches on mid-Advent and mid-Lent the ministers wear purple dalmatic and tunicle. The folded chasubles (not the colour purple) are the test for the organ to be silent. 2 The chasubles are now folded about half-way up in front. 3 The ministers wear the same vestments as usual, with this one exception. The folded chasubles are taken off when they have some special office to perform. During the last collect the subdeacon takes off his, assisted by the second acolyte, who then lays it on the sedilia. He reads the epistle in alb and maniple. When he has received the celebrant's blessing and has handed the book to the M. c., he goes to the sedile and puts on the folded chasuble again, assisted by the second acolyte.' He then moves the missal. The deacon goes to the credence table as soon as the cele­ brant begins to read the gospel. Here, assisted by the first acolyte, he takes off the folded chasuble, which is laid on the table. Formerly he folded it lengthwise and put it over his shoulder. It is difficult to do so with the badly made and generally stiff chasubles so much in vogue since the eighteenth century. He is therefore allowed to use instead a broad band of purple silk (black on Good Friday), incorrectly called a "broad stole." 5 This may not have crosses or other orna­ ment.' The deacon puts it on over the real stole, from the left shoulder to under the right arm, where he gathers it together with the ends of the girdle. He then takes the book of lessons 1 Missal, Ruby. gen., xix, 6. 2 s.R.e, 2 September 1741, no. 2365, ad IV. 3 "Plicatae ante pectus" (Ruby. gen. j}fissalis, xix, 6). This is the exact opposite of the old rule, that they should be folded up the sides as far as the shoulders, thus making them exactly the size of the Baroc chasuble now common. ' Caey. Ep., Lib. II, cap. xiii, § 8. o The missal uses this expression: "aliud genus stolae latioris" (ib.). The Italians call this strip" stolone." c S.R.C., 25 September 1852, no. 3006, ad VII. ::a~"ent to bol)?Wteelt 255 and puts it on the altar as usual. He remains so vested till after the Communion. Then, when he has carried the missal to the epistle side, he goes again to the credence table, takes off the "broad stole" and puts on the folded chasuble, assisted as before by the first acolyte. 1 In putting on and taking off this garment he does not kiss it. It is not really a stole at all. The deacon must wear his stole all the time beneath it. There is no reason why he should not carry out the original plan, namely, to fold his chasuble and wear that in a long strip across his shoulder, if he can do SO.2 All this rule about folded chasubles need not be observed in 3 smaller churches. If they are not used the subdeacon wears only amice, alb, girdle, maniple; the deacon wear amice, alb, girdle, maniple, stole. In this case neither makes any change during Mass; the" broad stole" is not used. § 3. CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHANY CHRISTMAS EVE is privileged. If then Christmas Day falls on a Monday, an exception is made to the general rule, that in such cases the vigil is on the Saturday. The office of 24 December is combined from that of the fourth Sunday of Advent and that of the vigil. At Matins the invitatorium is of the vigil, the psalms and versicles of the Sunday; the lessons of the first and second nocturn are of Sunday with their responses, those of the third of the vigil, without the ninth lesson of Sunday. All the rest of the office and the Mass are of the vigil, with commemoration of Sunday. On Christ­ mas Eve the colour is purple; the ministers wear dalmatic and tunicle, and the organ may be played. The colour for CHRISTMAS is white. On the day (be­ ginning at midnight) every priest may say Mass three times. No special privilege is needed for this. Three Masses are provided in the missal, one for the night, one for dawn, one for the day. If a priest says Mass once only, he should choose the one which best corresponds to the hour at which he says it. The same rule will apply to a priest who says two Masses. If he says three he must say the three provided, in their order, at whatever time he says them." It is not allowed to say a purely private Mass in the night. 5 One Mass only is allowed at midnight. It should be, if possible, a High Mass; but a sung, or even a Low Mass is allowed, if it is the one at which the people attend, and is said in default of High Mass. It may not begin before mid- 1 Caer. Ep., Lib. II, cap. xiii, § 9. 2 Both the missal (Rubr. gen., xix, 6) and the Caer. Ep., Lib. II, cap. xiii, § 9 propose this first, as the normal way. 3 Missal (Rubr. gen., xix, 7). < But if he sings the third l\Iass, he may say the first and second later. 5 Cod., c. 821. 256 ~be 11turgicallQear night; it should begin exactly then, or as soon after as possible. People are allowed to receive Holy Communion at the midnight Mass, unless the bishop, for some reason, forbids this. 1 If they do so there is no special rule concerning the Eucharistic fast. The common law remains, that they must be fasting from midnight. It is, however, considered respectful not to eat or drink for about two hours before Communion. If matins are said or sung in church before midnight Mass, see the rules at pp.